Sewing-machine work-clamp.



A. a'. woon. l SEWING MACHINE WORK CLAMP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16| 1912.

L2 PmmedJune5,191z.

fd fa NNNHNNWHWI emiten ernstes rarnur oniricaca ALFRED IR. WOOD, 0F '.BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY. 'y

SEWING-MACHINE WORK-CLAMP.

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, Application led November 16, 1912. Serial 15101-5731,'2'05.,v

To aZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED R. Woon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and.

State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machine lVork-Clamps, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention has for its object to pro-' vide convenient and effective means for preof the parts of a fastener by means ofwhich the supporter is secured in place uponthe wearer.

The improvement is preferably embodied in the traveling work-clamp of a tacking machine,.and comprises a holder adapted to receive the fastener and constituting a laterally movable section'of a, work-gripping jaw afforded by one of the separable workclainping members. In its preferred form, the holder comprises a plate pivotally mounted upon the upper work clamp-member and formed in its-lower face with a recess or cavity conforming in-shape with lfio a portion of the article to be sustained thereby and overlapped by a spring retaining plate whose lower face is substantially flush with the serrated work-gripping face of such clamp-member and beyond which another portion of the article projects into the needle aperture of the clamp within thev range of action of the stitch-forming mechanism b v means of which itis secured upon the body fabric gripped by the work-clamp in conjunction with said holder. VMeans are provided for retracting the holder from opera tive position upon its sustaining clampnieinbcr without altering the relative positions of the separable clamping-members for convenience in introducing a fastener and for thereafter shifting the same into operative position to move the fastener into the range of action of the stitch-forming mechanism. y

lin the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion' of a sewmachine'bed-plate provided with a travfl'atented June 5, 1917,.

eling work-clamp having a fastener-holder embodying the present improvement, and Fig. 2 a plan of the work-gripping members of the clamp and 'the fastener-holder. Fig. 3 isa perspective view, taken from the lower, side, and showing the upper workclamp member and the holder sustained thereby in operative relation therewith. Fig f1 is a perspective view of .the springretaining plate ofthe holder. Fig. 5 is a ,diagrammatic view representing the over lapped tacking stitches byvmeans of which. the fastener is secured to the fabric. Fig. 6 is a vperspective view of a member of the hose supporter having a fastener secured thereto in accordance with the present invention.

The improvement is shown embodied in a Singer straight-buttonhole machine such as that represented in theyUnited States Patent No. '-806,231, of December 5, 1905, and in practice has the side-shifting meansfor the vwork-clamp disconnected from the feed-cam or otherwise rendered ineffective so that the clamp has a to-and-'fro longitudinal move-` ment only to space the stitches, whereby an initial zigzag fastening seam a is produced by a feeding movement in one direction and a superposed fastening seam b is produced by the movement of the clamp in the opposite direction, as represented in Fig. 5.

The sewing machine bed-plate 1 is shown providedwith a transverse channel in which is fitted the cross slide-plate 2 which in the present instance isy restrained by suitable means, as by screws 3, from transverse movement. The plate 2 has a seat upon which rests the longitudinalslide-plate 4 which is The member 18 is sustained by pivotal screws l'within a yoke 16 mounted upon the screw-pin 17 sustained-by-the apertured f lua' 18 of the rocking lamarla.attacned,to

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a block 20 having depending ears pivotally i,

connected by means ofthe' transverse pin 21 witha bracket 22. rlhe bracket 22 is mounted upon the foot-plate 23 `which is adjustably secured by screws 24 upon the supporting plate 25 havinga' lateral eXtension 25 rigidlyA secured upon the slide-plate 4. The foot-plate 23 has the usual post 26 passing through a suitable aperture in the clamp-arm 19 and surrounded by .a spring 27 interposed` between the thrust-nut 28 thereon and a thrust-plate 29 resting upon the clamp-arm and by' means of lwhich the upper clamping member 13 hasthe usual.l

aperture 13 through which works the needle 32 mounted in the reciprocating and laterally jogging needle-bar 33 of the stitchforming mechanism.

The arm 14 is apertured in its outer portion to aii'ord a bearing for the vertical rocking pin 34 having fixed upon its lowerl end the thin arm or plate 35 which is shownv provided at the outer end of its lower facewith the substantially U-shaped or arched fastener receiving groove 36, the outer edge of the holder-plate being suitably beveled to direct the fastener into the groove 36. The re-' cessed end portion of the holder-plate 35 normally enters a clearance space 13 formed by cutting' away a. portion at one corner of l to the lower clamp the lower or operative face of the upper clamping member. Secured to the bottom of the holder-plate 35 by means of screws 37 is the sp'1ing-plate 38 whose free outer end overlaps the plate 35 and ali-orde a yielding cover for the fastener groove 36, as represented in dotted lines in Fig. 3f ln practice the lower-face ofthe spring-plate 38 is substantially flush with the serrated lowerace of the clamp-member 13 and thus constitutes a section of the upper work-gripping jaw when in operative position, as represented in F1g. 3. i. v

As ill be readily .understood by reference toFig. 1, the article holder 35 38', while pivotally' mounted upon the upper clamp 13 can be moved independently of it without disturbing its relative position with respect The rounded end of the holder-plate adjacent the fulcrum-pin 34 is provided with spaced peripheral notches 39 and 40 adapted tobe entered alternately by the downturned end portion 410i a detent-spring 42 passing through a notch in the edge of the arm 14 and having its opposite end formed in an eye secured upon the top of thearm 14 by Leashes the fastening screw 43. Secured upon the upper end of the rockingpin 34 by means of set-screws 44 is the hub 45 of a linger-lever 46 by means of which the pin 34 may be l turned to shift the holder-plate from open ative position represented in Figs. 2 and 3 to retracted position shown in Fig. 1, the part 41 ofthe detenta-spring snapping into one or the other of the notches 39 and 40 of the holder-plate to retain'it yieldingly in either of such eXtreme positions, the lhead 47 of the arm 14 engaging the edgeA of the holder-plate 35 when in operative position.

To the extension 25 of the supporting plate 25 is adjustably secured by means of the screw 48 passing through a slot/,49 the shank'O of a yoke-shaped guide'l having at its extremities the upturned guide-lips '52 and 53, the former of which is of 'angular shape, to locate thefabric for reception Y of the `fastener in the desired position relative to the .stitch-forming mechanism.

To prepare the device tor a stitching operv ation, the upper work-clamping member is first raised by drawing down the chain 31 and the holder 35 38 swung outwardly by means of the finger-lever 46, as represented in Fig'. 1. The 'mouth oi' the holder is thus presented at one side of and entirely free from the upper clamping member, which en@ ables' the operator to readily introduce the fastener t. The rounded nose of the substantially triangular fastener is then inserted between the ends of the holder-plate 35 and spring-plate 38- which are separated sutilH ciently to admit the fastener within the groove 36 in which it is yieldingly confined against displacement by means of the springplate 38. The holder is then returned to initial operative position, as represented in Figs. 2 and3, with the bar t of the 'fastener arranged at substantially the center of the needleeperture 13" or the upper clamping member and lyingl across the needle-apern ture 11 of the throatplate, ai'ter which the fabric f is inserted with its edges'in contact 4 yits length7 after which a second se les of stitches 1s superposed 1n the retrograde ieeding movement of the clamp to initial starting position, thereby securely attaching the fastener to the. fabric, as represented 'in Fifi". 6.

llVhile the holder is represented herein as constructed to receive the eye member of a lioolr-and-eye fastening for hose supporters, it is evident that the holder may be readily adapted to sustainany small articles for attachment to a body fabric secured inthe work-clamp, such as small buttons or spangles.

While the embodiment shown and described herein is considered the preferable one, itis evident that the present improve-` ment is susceptible of material modication' in construction and arrangement of parts within the scope of the invention.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is 1. A work-clamp for sewing machines comprising separable clamping members, a

fulcrum-pin carried by one of said members and disposed transverse to its workengaging face, and an article-holder journaled upon said ,pin and adapted for movement thereon relatively to both of said clamping members and in a direction substantially parallel with their work-engaging faces. 2. A work-clamp for sewing machinesl comprising separable clamping members whose adjacent faces afford opposed workgripping jaws, and an article-holder sustained by one of said members and affording a section laterally movable independently of the latters work-gripping jaw with ywhich said holder has a rigid connection whereby they are compelled to perform in unison `opening and closing moyementsy toward and from the otherof said clamping members.

3. A work-'clamp for sewing machines comprising separable clamping members Whose adjacent faces afford opposed gripping jaws, a fulcrum-pin carried by and disposed in angular relation with' the workengaging face of one of said members, an article-holder having an aperture to receive said pin and having its exposed face flush with that of said member, and means for shifting said article-holder laterally relatively to both clamping members and subsaid pin and provided with a yielding fastener-cavity and adapted to lie within the f' clearance space of said upper clamping member, and'means for shifting said holder-A arm into and out of said clearance space so that said holder-arm will coperate with said separable members in their clamping action upon the work. y

6. A work-clamp for sewing machines comprising separable upper' and lower clamping members, a fulcrum-pin sustained by the upper clamping member, and an' article-holder having an aperture to receive said pin and provided with a cavityto receive an article, a spring-plate secured to the article-holder and overlying the cavity therein, means for vshifting said articleholder laterally relatively to and substantially parallel with the work-engaging face Aof the upper clamping member, and a detent spring secured upon said upper clamping member and 4adapted to enter spaced notches formed in said article-holder.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED R. WOOD.

Witnesses: l l

E. L. TOLLES, H. J. Mmmm. 

